Transform Your Healthcare Waiting Room with TV Content
A long-standing stereotype surrounds healthcare waiting rooms, complete with sighs and expressions like “What’s taking so long?” If not properly handled, waiting rooms negatively affect patients’ experience. Magazines help somewhat but are limited in holding a person’s interest.
Digital signage is the better option to improve your waiting room experience. The visuals and variety of content beat whatever magazines have to offer. It is also flexible; you can tailor content to different audience segments. More importantly, your waiting room TV can display healthcare services effectively.
Let us explore the place of a waiting room TV in a healthcare facility.
Why Your Healthcare Facility Needs a Waiting Room TV
Besides curing boredom, healthcare facilities need waiting room TVs for more reasons, including:
- Patients sometimes struggle with anxiety while waiting. Sickness brings its share of worries, especially when a loved one is involved. With its soothing content, the waiting room TV is a remedy for anxiety. Healing is often attributed to numerous factors, including the person’s emotional state. In that sense, the waiting room TV contributes to a patient’s wellness.
- Waiting room TVs are also digital teachers, educating patients on necessary health tips. This way, patients gain cures for ailments and preventive measures.
- A third and important reason for waiting room TV is communication. Through these screens, healthcare facilities connect with their audience. You can pass important announcements, specialist schedules, and other relevant information.
- Lastly, it provides marketing opportunities. Who said healthcare facilities cannot advertise? Waiting room TVs allow you to display products patients may need, such as supplements.
What to Show on Your TV: Eight Content Ideas That Work
Alright, we’ve laid a foundation for why your facility needs Waiting room TV. Curious minds would be itching to take practical steps by now. What do you show on the TV? Here are some suggestions:
1. Educational and Health Tips
We all wish to be healthy, so we love health tips. With health tips, you can meet the patient’s needs and contribute to human flourishing. For example, provide preventive tips, nutritional information, common symptoms, and outbreak control. Fitness is related to health as well. The goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle for the good of others. Look through our great examples of content for digital signage.
2. Entertainment and Relaxation Content
Hospitals mustn’t maintain a dull and cold atmosphere, particularly as a place of healing. Include fun content to spice up the waiting room and improve patients' experience. Times move past when we are entertained, and waiting hours become short with entertainment content. Examples include music playlists, calm nature scenes, and visuals that bring information to life. Remember, your content should fit the environment and your image.
3. Status Updates and Appointment Information
In the past, healthcare used posters and other paper signs to share updates and appointments. Not surprisingly, this method had its challenges. Appointments change and emergencies require quick updates. Posters do not lend themselves to quick changes. Digital signage has software that makes updating seamless.
4. Wayfinding and Directions
Have you had trouble finding a particular ward in a large hospital? The frustration is high! If you run a big establishment, wayfinding is non-negotiable. Include maps and directions in your waiting room TV to guide visitors.
5. Promotion and Branding
Promote your new products and services with your waiting room TV. Visitors are more likely to watch them there anyway. Examples of services to promote include home services for older patients, telehealth services, and more. Your facility can display logos and encourage brand loyalty under branding. Get more tips on designing the perfect digital sign board for better promotion and branding.
6. Social Media Integration and News Updates
Social media provides a range of opportunities for many businesses, and healthcare facilities are not exempt. Your social media platform is a window for TV content, so make the best of it. If patients leave testimonials, for instance, include them on your screens. In addition, displays news updates that may interest patients like weather forecasts.
7. Emergency Alerts and Announcements
Because emergencies are a part of life in healthcare facilities, waiting room TV is perfect for delivering these alerts. It has flexible features and easy content management systems that make it easy to update. Plus, these screens transcend traditional signage constraints for communication.
8. Interactive Content and Multi-Screen Display Options
Waiting room TVs have many screens for different content types. When patients of various ages are present, the content shown is suited to their interests. Guests can also interact with the displays using gesture control and touchscreens. Do not underrate the importance of these features.
How to Manage Your Content
Every form of management starts with a clear objective—that’s Management 101. The objective drives the content and shapes its effect on viewers. Do you want to share information or showcase the latest health product?
You’d then need the right software, to enable you to update without manual efforts. A good content management system keeps you in the driver’s seat. For bigger establishments, the software brings consistency. Check our guide on the best digital signage content managers for more information.
Other Ways to Spice Up Your Waiting Room
The facts are clear: digital signage must be in your waiting room to transform the experience. However, it is not the only factor to consider. Look out for other ways to turn your waiting room into a haven.
For starters, look at your chairs. Are they comfortable, or do they add to patients’ discomfort? Several visitors will come in with ailments. Let your chairs provide relief, at least.
Furthermore, examine the colors. The ideal coloring is calm and welcoming, not loud and piercing. These little touches work wonders in assuaging a patient. Even the music must be intentional as your playlist communicates. Together with digital signage, your waiting room becomes a room indeed.
To understand more about this, check out our article on digital signage analytics.
Wrap-Up: Make Your Waiting Room TV Work for You
Your waiting room shouldn’t be dull, unengaging, or negative. Every area of your facility is important, including the waiting room. After all, people will spend hours there. Where people wait for a while. Luckily, a TV in the waiting room can change the atmosphere. Engaging content will grab attention, provide entertainment, and calm anxious visitors. The screen serves a purpose beyond decoration, bringing energy to your space. Think creatively about how to use your TV and ensure you have the appropriate resources.